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"Otenba Musume" (JP) is a term for a young female character who is a tomboy and has an energetic and boyish personality. They are lively, confident, fearless, competitive, and can be rough around the edges. They speak and act in a boyish type of manner, with many even having a boyish appearance.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Otenba musume (おてんば娘) is a combination of "otenba" (おてんば), meaning "tomboy (an energetic, sometimes boisterous girl whose behavior and pursuits, especially in games and sports, are considered more typical of boys than of girls), and "musume" (娘), meaning "daughter (or a young unmarried girl)".[1][2][3]
History
Otenba musume are a popular character type in anime and manga.[4][5][6]
Characteristics
Otenba musume will often will also look or dress like a boy, refraining from wearing clothes that are considered "girly", such a dresses or make-up. They will also typically have shorter hair which causes them to be mistaken for a boy.
Personality
Otenba musume are female characters who have tastes and behaviors usually associated with boys. They speak and act in a boyish type of manner and are energetic, confident, competitive, and can be rough around the edges.[7]
These characters have interests and skills which are usually considered "boyish" and lack interest in what is seen as "girly". They will have interests seen as tomboyish or more common in males, like sports, vehicle mechanics, or combat.
Otenba musume may still have a feminine side that they hide deep inside. Often, they still feel a desire to feel "pretty" or to wear make-up or pretty dresses but will refuse to do so out of embarrassment or thinking that it won't look good on them.
Differences From Other Archetypes
The term "boyish" (ボーイッシュ) is also widely used to refer to tomboys in Japan and is considered to have nearly the same meaning as otenba musume, though it includes more types than just tomboys. It refers to a female who has a boyish personality and appearance.[1][2][3]
Female characters who look and act more like grown 'men', instead of looking and acting like young 'boys', are instead referred to as "mannish" (マニッシュ) and do not fall under this type.[4] These types of characters are more likely to fall under the otoko masari (male surpassing) type, for characters who are more "manly" than most men, or orekko for characters who refer to themselves with the rough and masculine sounding pronoun "ore".
Similar Archetypes
- Bokukko: A term for a female character who refers to herself as "boku". Most of the characters who are this type are otenba musume, but not all otenba musume refer to themselves with boyish pronouns.
- Genkikko: A term for a character who is full of energy and is very cheerful. Otenba musume are similar to genkikko since they are both energetic, but otenba musume direct their energy more towards playing or running around while genkikko direct it more towards a positive and cheerful attitude.
- Orekko: A term for a female character who refers to herself as "ore". Several of the characters who are this type are also otenba musume, however, orekko generally lean more towards being aggressive or highly masculine as opposed to energetic and boyish.
- Tsundere: A term for a character who can't be honest with their feelings of love towards their love interest so they act distant, standoffish, and stuck-up to conceal them. A lot of tsundere tend to also be otenba musume due to their tough behaviour when their "tsun" side comes out, which is sometimes seen as tomboyish. Despite this, not all otenba musume characters are tsundere and not all tsundere characters are tomboys, although this is a combination that is used frequently.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Kyoka Jiro from My Hero Academia  Kyoka Jiro from My Hero Academia  Videl from Dragon Ball Z  Yamato from ONE PIECE  Tomo Aizawa from Tomo-chan Is a Girl!  Makio from Kimetsu no Yaiba |
References
- ↑ What is Otenba Musume. Pixiv (2015/05/30). “A term used to describe the personality of an energetic and rambunctious girl.”
- ↑ What is Otenba. Pixiv (2016/05/05). “The term "otenba" refers to a girl who is energetic and active. The term is mainly used for girls of young age and appearance, although it is sometimes used to refer to women in their teens and twenties as well. In anime and manga, the term is often applied to female characters who are more spirited than other characters, more masculine and less feminine, less shy and modest, and more fearless and active.”
- ↑ What is Otenba. NicoNico Pedia (2011/11/29). “Otenba is a word that refers to an energetic and active girl. One of the oldest and most established moe elements. It refers to a girl who lacks feminine elements such as shyness, modesty, and femininity, and is always active. The word "tomboy" is sometimes written without the prefix "o," and the term "otenba musume" is used to refer to a girl who is a tomboy. Otenba can be seen not only in reality, but in many creative works, both past and present, and their actions that show their tomboyishness include "playing around with the boys", "climbing trees", and "attacking people with bad behavior (especially boys and adults)." And it is also typical in works featuring tomboys that a girl with these characteristics (who had no interest in romance) suddenly becomes interested in love.”
- ↑ The Otenba Musume Fell In Love With Prince Alan. Booklike. “I want to be a lady worthy of you! A tomboyish girl's first love in a romantic comedy Jill, a girl famous in town as an otenba musume, is training to become a lady worthy of her favorite childhood friend, Alan, a perfect guy! Today, however, she is seen jumping into the river to save a child in front of Alan. Jill is depressed, but Alan asks her to join him at a dance party...?”
- ↑ Tokugawa Otenba Hime: The Last Shogun's Princess and Her Funny Daily Life. Booklive. “Kumiko, the granddaughter of Keiki, the last Tokugawa shogun, was born in 1922, the year before the Great Kanto Earthquake, and with her tomboyish personality, overcame the turbulent times of the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras and lived through them. She is an otenba princess and she overcomes and survives the turbulent times of the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras with her "tomboyish" personality.”
- ↑ A Villainess? No, I'm an Otenba Musume... I Won't Say "Samaa"... Anthology Comic. “The charm of girls doesn't stop with the villainesses! The slightly tomboyish heroines, who are pushed around and pushed around, avoid condemnation end, flee to a neighboring country, and go through an engagement route that overcomes the differences in status. ... The anthology comic that everyone will be happy even if you don't say "Samaa"!”
- ↑ What does "otenba" mean and where does it come from? Common characteristics of otenba and how to date them. Happymail (2021/08/13). “As the dictionary says, the word "otenba" means a woman who is active and unafraid of things. At the same time, it can also mean a lack of modesty or grace and is sometimes used in a somewhat negative sense. Otenba girls love new things and are highly absorbent. They are bold enough to take on challenges that would normally scare girls away and they make everything their own. They are flexible and adaptable to changing values and circumstances.”
| v • eAndrogynous Archetypes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female |
Bokukko ♡ Dansou no Reijin ♡ Ikemen Joshi ♡ Orekko ♡ Otenba Musume ♡ Otoko Masari | |
| Male |
Bishounen ♡ Josou Danshi ♡ Okama ♡ Otokonoko ♡ Nekama | |
| Both | ||